“Heartbroken that Kerry could feel that way. Kerry Martin Jr. is “Here to Stay” To say that social media has not been kind to WVU safety Kerry Martin Jr. would be an understatement. “100 percent no. But KJ’s tweet reminded me that sometimes intent is not always clearly communicated. It’s making a difference. Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Kerry Martin Jr. in 2020 Schuyler Callihan As we inch closer and closer to the start of the 2020 season, we take an in-depth look at each player on the Mountaineer roster. Brad Smith - December 23, 2020. Koenning has also allegedly talked politics with players in team meetings. Martin also alleges that Koenning has said of the protests, “if people didn’t want to get tear gassed, or push back by the police then they shouldn’t be outside protesting.”. Then, he detailed an instance where he says Koenning called him “retarded.”, “In the month of June, 3 weeks after we had reported back to campus for summer workouts, I had my first incident with him after a mistake I made on the field that he called me retarded for doing the wrong technique. June 24, 2020, 11:59 PM • … “…No, coach Vic is not a bad person and he does mean well in many (different) aspects but his heinous actions towards us (overrule) the good things he has done and many of us are uncomfortable with being around him.”. The West Virginia Mountaineers are the latest program to be wrapped up in accusations of racial injustices in the football program. New, 66 comments. A few hours after the initial accusations and shortly after the publication of this story, Koenning was placed on administrative leave by the school. pic.twitter.com/40hZYXjxib, He started by sharing how he has “dealt with mistreatment and racism growing up in West Virginia, but I never would have thought I’d deal with it while at a school I’m supposed to be able to call home with my position coach, Vic Koenning.”. which was written by EerSports on the 247Sports network. However, he also seems to want the university to remove the coach. I never intended anything I said or did to offend or be insensitive. Morgantown, West Virginia – Kerry Martin, Jr., the sophomore defensive back for the West Virginia Mountaineers, was at the center of one of the largest scandals in West Virginia football program history this past offseason when he publicly accused former defensive coordinator Vic Koenning of “mistreatment” and “insensitive comments.”. © 2005-2021 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “I am heartbroken and shocked,” Carptenter said, according to Bragg. “We will not tolerate any form of racism, discrimination or bias on our campus, including our athletic programs. Coach Vic Koenning has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, and the department will work with the appropriate parties to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations. The West Virginia Mountaineers are the latest program to be wrapped up in accusations of racial injustices in the football program. By. His issue lies with the Mississippi state flag, which bears an emblem from the Confederate flag. He would make remarks about the Bible and talk about religion in front of Derrek, making him want to question the things he believed.”. Young athletes are starting to realize they have a voice to demand change. “I myself have dealt with mistreatment and racism growing up in West Virginia, but I never would’ve thought I would deal with it while at a school I’m supposed to be able to call home with my own position coach, Vic Koenning,” Martin wrote in his note. — Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr. (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020 Vic Koenning was put on administrative leave by West Virginia the day that Martin tweeted … Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; West Virginia safety Kerry Martin Jr. said he will sit out the football season because of health concerns, he announced via social media on Wednesday.. Martin, who ranked sixth on the team in tackles as a freshman last season, said he has sickle cell and asthma. As a freshman in 2019, Martin saw … Carpenter elaborated further, as documented in a series of tweets by Bragg. This is serious, and we will act appropriately and in the best interests of our student-athletes.”. Carpenter denied the claims that he ever used the phrase, “slave master,” when referring to Koenning. According to another tweet by Bragg, Koenning has, “aggravated (Carpenter) to death since COVID started,” making sure that Martin was being fed while at home due to the coronavirus pandemic that shut down the school. He accused the Mountaineers DC of calling him “retarded” after mistake on the field, defending protesters/rioters being tear gassed, said a wall should be built by Trump to keep Hispanics out of the country and lecturing him about religion. Good for Kerry Martin Jr. Until college athletes speak up there will never be any change. Finally, Martin shared that he hasn’t told anyone outside of his own family about all this previously but felt he had an obligation to share it now. Now, we’ll see what the West Virginia football program has to say about these allegations from Martin about Koenning. A bit later on, Martin tweeted the following: I’m just bringing light to a bad situation, I’m NOT doing any interviews because this is a personal issue and this has nothing to do with the program as a whole! I think I (am) speaking for everybody that coaches with us, but that’s new that he felt that way. Earlier today, West Virginia sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr. took to social media voicing for change within the Mountaineer football program. “Starting back to spring ball 2019 before guys started to transfer, Coach Vic has antagonized Derrek Pitts for believing in something that he didn’t believe. By … Heisman candidate Chuba Hubbard. I think you’ve known me long enough to know that I’ve burned all my bridges in (West Virginia) high school football speaking out on racism.”. On Tuesday afternoon, Carpenter spoke with former West Virginia newspaper reporter Tom Bragg. Nobody would care two cents about Jon Carpenter the football coach if it wasn’t for people like Kerry Martin. West Virginia will be down a safety for the 2020 season after Kerry Martin Jr. announced his decision to opt out, citing concerns over COVID-19. Poet charged by President Joe Biden with composing a … https://www.wowktv.com/sports/kerry-martin-jr-opts-out-of-2020-season (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020. West Virginia DC Vic Koenning apologizes to Kerry Martin Jr.: 'Intent is not always clearly communicated' By ESPN.com news services via. "After speaking with Kerry, I took immediate action," he said. By Mike Casazza Jun 23, 12:29 PM West Virginia sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr. spoke out on Twitter Tuesday afternoon and accused defensive coordinator/safeties coach Vic Koenning of … Koenning isn’t the first coach to be called out for racism and mistreatment recently. West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, placed on leave amid an investigation into allegations of mistreatment made by safety Kerry Martin Jr., apologized to … Martin also wrote that his high school coach shared the opinion that Koenning has a “Slave Master” mentality. Martin tweeted several paragraphs about “heinous actions” by Koenning. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry thanked Europeans on Thursday for keeping up the fight to slow global warming during the Trump administration and said the U.S. must recover lost time Kerry Washington is effortlessly chic in a blue and gold plaid suit as she appears on Celebrating America to honor Joe Biden's inauguration. “Neal Brown told me that (Martin) said I told him that somebody had a, ‘slave owner,’ mentality,” Carpenter said, according to Tom Bragg. In a lengthy message shared from his Twitter account, Martin laid out quite a list of grievances. Kerry Martin Jr.: … Enough is enough.”. Coach Vic Koenning has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, and the department will work with the appropriate parties to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations. Twitter; Instagram; Home Football. — Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr.???? I’ve been contemplating about posting but we need a change in our program. His reasoning for not sharing previously is understandable: “…I didn’t want to bring negativity to the program but with everything going on and for him to still act this way and feel okay with saying what he said is not okay. Wednesday morning, West Virginia safety Kerry Martin Jr. became the first Mountaineer to opt out of the upcoming season. West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, placed on leave amid an investigation into allegations of mistreatment made by safety Kerry Martin Jr., apologized to … Amanda Gorman: Inauguration poet studied Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr ahead of reading. The old school way of coaching where you could be a racist is over. On Tuesday, sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr. took to Twitter and accused West Virginia defensive coordinator/safeties coach Vic Koenning of a series of insensitive comments and actions at West Virginia. There have been many opinions and perspectives given after Kerry Martin shared his tweets on Tuesday afternoon. This is serious, and we will act appropriately and in the best interests of our student-athletes. Later on in the shared message, Martin wrote that Koenning has pulled the Bible out to read scriptures to him — a young man who has different religious beliefs. Since the murder of George Floyd on May 25, other players have stepped up to call out their coaches as well. It almost feels like a train wreck that I wish we could have got out in front of. In a tweet, Martin indicated that the decision was made in conjunction with his family and was not taken lightly. I have family members that are actually mentally ill and for him to say that hurt me because it was an action we could fix, especially in that situation because I never was taught what to do in the situation I was in.”, After detailing that encounter, Martin shared that he has had meetings with head football coach Neal Brown “about the mistreatment I have received from Coach Vic.”. In a tweet that included three screenshots of writing in the Notes app, Martin, among many things, claimed that his old high school coach Jon Carpenter, who had just visited with Koenning in a recruiting trip, told him that Koenning, had a, “slave master,” mentality. On Tuesday, West Virginia defensive back Kerry Martin Jr. took to Twitter with serious accusations directed at defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. — Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr. (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020 Brown released a statement on Tuesday night addressing the situation. The sophomore has been subject to cyberbullying by the worst of Mountaineer Nation — but Martin took the opportunity today to finally fire back at some of his haters on Twitter. I know this is a hard thing […] Morgantown, West Virginia – Kerry Martin, Jr., the sophomore defensive back for the West Virginia Mountaineers, was at the center of one of the largest scandals in West Virginia football program history this past offseason when he publicly accused … It seems clear that Martin isn’t trying to bury Koenning out of any sense of malice. Carpenter coached Martin, a former three-star recruit, in his time at Capital High School in Charleston, West Virginia, before he committed to the Mountaineers. Koenning said the following in part in his apology, according to FootballScoop: I want to offer my sincere apology to both KJ and the entire WVU Family. Martin alleges he has discussed how President Donald Trump should “build the wall and keep Hispanics out of the country” while leading a meeting with a Hispanic player in the room. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. “I want to thank Kerry Martin for having the courage to bring his concerns to light,”. Additionally, on Monday Mississippi State star running back Kylin Hill threatened to leave the Bulldogs. “It’s hard because I love Kerry Martin. Football; OFFICIAL: Kerry Martin Returning to West Virginia. Defensive Coordinator Vic Koenning Placed on Administrative Leave Following Kerry Martin Tweets. WVU safety Kerry Martin took to Twitter on Tuesday at detail uncomfortable experiences he has had with WVU defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. “I want to thank Kerry Martin for having the courage to bring his concerns to light,” athletic director Shane Lyons said. Here’s Martin laying out a scenario in which he accuses Koenning of “antagonizing” a player over religious beliefs. Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy landed in hot water after being photographed wearing an OAN T-shirt. I never told him that.”. According to the initial story of Martin’s accusations, which was written by EerSports on the 247Sports network, Martin alleged six different incidents that included the treatment of former safety Derrek Pitts, a derogatory term used in response to a mistake Martin made in practice and Koenning’s various political and religions positions and opinions as well as “multiple occasions” when Koenning invited Martin into his office and provided Martin with a book and selected scripture to discuss Martin’s religious conversion. 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